ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. fork — in a road
  4. chest — of your body
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. craft — boats
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. root — of a plant
  9. staff — a stick
  10. cold — an illness
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. root — of a word
  13. staff — employees
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. staff — employees
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. chest — a box
  20. craft — a skill
  21. cold — not warm
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. root — the cause

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com